"Akame!"
Najenda, Mine, and the others, sensing something was wrong, rushed into the room.
"Uh"
They froze at the sight of the naked and unconscious Akame.
"Hmm?"
What shocked them even more was the sudden appearance of a new sub-system in their minds!
...
At the Empire's border:
Amid the freezing cold and endless snow, the Empire's army held its position against the enemy tribes. This was one of the most heavily guarded places in the Empire.
Leading the charge was none other than Esdeath, the Empire's other great general, a battle-crazed sadist known for her strength.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
A pained scream echoed from a military camp as Esdeath, clad in her white uniform and long blue hair, smiled in delight. She was torturing a captured tribal prince. Nothing excited her more than tormenting an enemy, save for a good fight against a powerful opponent.
"General! Urgent news from the capital!"
A soldier hurriedly entered the tent.
"Hm?"
Esdeath, far from angry about the interruption, set down her whip lazily and asked, "What's so urgent?"
"According to the report, Night Raid has infiltrated the capital. General Budo and the entire city guard have been wiped out. The minister requests your immediate return to defend the capital!"
"Hm?"
Esdeath's cold expression flickered with curiosity for the first time.
"Budo was killed by Night Raid? How interesting."
She immediately prepared to returnnot for the sake of the Empire, but for the prospect of fighting Night Raid, possibly finding an interesting opponent among them.
Just as she was about to give the order, her expression shifted.
"Chat group?"
Noticing the new sub-system in her mind, Esdeath smirked.
"Looks like things are about to get even more interesting."
...
Upon returning home late at night, the food had gone cold, and Mai had lost her appetite. What greeted her was Rei Ao, having just arrived and completely unclothed, along with signs of his earlier activities. Her face darkened as she said, "Go take a shower immediately! Otherwise, don't even think about getting into my bed tonight!" With that, she stormed off to Rei Ao's room, clearly upset.
"Tsk, after just a few times, she's already acting like a little wife," Rei Ao chuckled, a smile playing on his lips. This was a good sign. It seemed Mai wasn't overly bothered by his behavior.
In the chat group, Rei Ao messaged:
Rei Ao: "@Saeko, @Ayame, did you both return safely?"
Ayame: "Thank you for your concern, Master. I've returned to Kabaneri."
Saeko: "I encountered a bit of a situation."
Stella: "A situation? You didn't get stuck in another world, did you?"
Frieren: "Traveling between worlds can be more complex than space magic. There could be risks."
Sakurajima Mai: "Saeko, what happened?"
Saeko: "It's not that kind of issue. I returned safely, but I discovered that Saya and the others were in danger when I got back."
Stella: "You scared me! I thought something went wrong with world travel."
Rei Ao: "So, your companions are safe?"
Saeko: "Yes, they're fine."
Saeko summoned her sword spirit and quickly cut down the surrounding zombies, turning to her shocked companions, "Are you all alright?"
They nodded in response, still shaken. They had initially gone out for supplies but nearly ended up losing everything due to an unexpected incident. Thankfully, Saeko had returned in time. They gazed in awe at the powerful purple sword spirit towering over them.
"What an incredible power!"
Saya couldn't stop shaking her head. "This defies all science!"
"Well, the existence of the chat group and Saeko's world travel defies science too," Shizuka said absentmindedly, hitting the nail on the head. Meanwhile, Rei Miyamoto stared at Saeko's sword spirit, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Saekohow can I become as strong as you?" Rei asked Saeko, her gaze full of resolve.
Saeko hesitated for a moment before showing them the chat group.
Saeko: "@Rei Ao, Rei Ao-kun, Rei wants to know how she can become stronger."
Stella: "Train your combat skills."
Frieren: "Master magic through diligent study."
Rei Ao: "I assume you mean she's asking how to gain supernatural powers, correct?"
Saeko: "Yes, exactly."
Rei Ao: "Haha, I suggest you take another look at the chat group's name."
"The group name?"
Saya suddenly realized, "He means trade?!"
"Trade? Isn't that" The three of them instinctively glanced at Saeko's abdomen.
"Ugh"
Rei's face turned bright red. Even she felt awkward about bringing it up, especially since every trade was recorded in the chat group. Saya had the same thought, muttering, "Hmph, who would want to make that kind of trade!"
Shizuka naively commented, "Wait, but didn't Saeko already become stronger?"
"!!!"
Saya realized her mistake and quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry, Saeko-senpai! I didn't mean to offend you!"
Saeko nodded calmly, not bothered at all. Looking at the 'Murasame' that Rei Ao had given her, her eyes were filled with deep affection. She liked her current state very much, and that was enough for her.
...
"Rei Ao, you're really something. You just finished with Akame, and now you're after someone else." As Rei Ao walked into the room after his shower, Mai's sarcastic voice greeted him. She had been keeping an eye on the chat group.
Rei Ao chuckled and shook his head. He tossed aside the towel and crawled into bed, naturally pulling Mai into his arms.
"I didn't do anything wrong. The trades were voluntary, weren't they?"
"Hmph, you always have an excuse," she said, blushing as she gave him a sideways glance. Mai had stopped trying to argue. She had accepted that she couldn't stop him. With Saeko, Ayame, and now Akame in the picture, one more made little difference.
But sharing her future with others? That was something she still found deeply unsettling.
Turning to face Rei Ao, she bared her teeth and playfully bit his neck. Though she wanted to bite hard, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead, she left a small mark.
"You're not allowed to ignore me or leave me for someone else, or else"
"Or else what?" Rei Ao asked affectionately as he stroked her soft waist.
Mai glared at him fiercely. "Or else, I'll bite you to death!"
Her face flushed with embarrassment as she finished speaking and snuggled closer. "Let's just go to sleep. I'm tired."
Rei Ao could tell she wasn't pretending. The day's events had exhausted her. Deciding not to tease her further, he pulled her close and whispered softly, "Alright, let's sleep."
Right next door to Rei Qing's house, Gabriel was wide awake, sitting at her computer with a conflicted expression. As a top-tier angel, she was well-versed in the knowledge of the heavenly realm, but she still had much to learn about the human world. Things like computers and smartphones were not allowed in heaven.
However, since she aimed to become the best angel, it was important to study human technologies and better integrate into their world. So, Gabriel had purchased a computer, intending to learn and master its use. At least, that was the original plan.
But things took a turn.
While learning to use a search engine, an advertisement suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of the webpage. The large characters spelling "Help Me" immediately caught Gabriel's attention.
"Help me~"
The message even came with a pleading voice! Gabriel's "angel radar" was triggeredshe couldn't ignore someone in need.
She clicked on the ad to investigate who was asking for help, only to discover that it was a video game character. Upon entering the game, Gabriel realized that her healing power wasn't enough to save the character. A prompt then appeared, offering to sell her the "Holy Angel Staff," a game item that would allow her to heal the characterbut at a steep price.
Gabriel hesitated. Despite being a top student, she received very little allowance from heaven, and spending on this item might affect her budget for living in the human world. But just as she was debating, the character cried out for help again.
"Help me!!!"
With a serious expression, Gabriel resolved, "As an angel, I can't just stand by and watch someone suffer!"
And so, she bought the "Holy Angel Staff."
"Thank you for saving me!"
The injured game character was healed, and Gabriel received a heartfelt thank you. A smile spread across her face. Now that she had the equipment, she realized she could continue helping more characters.
Determined, Gabriel made up her mind.
"Let me save even more people!"
Filled with confidence, she dove deeper into the world of gaming, ready to embark on her new mission.
~~~
And yes chapters from now on are long... Because this is when paid chapters began on Faloo haha.
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Chapter 64: The Fool named 'Tomoya Aki'
The next morning, as Rei Ao stepped out of his house, he saw Gabriel yawning as she left hers.
"Huh? Tenma, you look really tired."
After all, not only had he been fighting in another world yesterday, but he also had "handled business" with Akame in a rather exhaustive manner. Even so, he didn't feel tired at all. But Gabriel, on the other hand, looked more worn out than him. Her hair was slightly messy, not as smooth as usual.
"Yeah I saved a lot of lives last night"
Gabriel forced a smile. She wasn't lying; she had indeed saved lives in a video game.
"I see."
Rei Ao understood. Gabriel's fall from grace had already begun.
He sighed, "Even angels shouldn't stay up too late."
After all, angels and demons like Gabriel were not as different from humans as people thought. They had human-like habits and lives.
Since Gabriel didn't offer any more details, Rei Ao didn't press the matter.
"Let's head to school."
"Alright."
...
Mai had already managed to control how she appeared to others, but she planned to wait a couple of days before returning to school. Rei Ao could only look forward to her return. After all, if they could do things on the rooftop, his mind was already full of new ideas. When Mai returned to campus, maybe he could start persuading her.
He thought today would be a peaceful day, but that was far from the case.
As they approached the classroom, Rei Ao saw Megumi Kato standing outside in the hallway, facing a boy who seemed to be talking to her excitedly.
"That guy"
Rei Ao recognized the bespectacled boy immediately.
"Tomoya Aki"
"Hm?"
Hearing his name called, Tomoya paused and turned towards Rei Ao.
"You know me?"
Rei Ao approached Megumi's side. "Of course I do."
Megumi looked curiously at him.
Rei Ao chuckled softly, "One of the top ten weirdos on campus, Tomoya Aki. That's a name I've definitely heard."
""
Tomoya's face twitched at the comment. That wasn't exactly a title to be proud ofin fact, it was the worst kind. He had earned it by being openly otaku, not caring about others' opinions and even preaching his interests to others whenever he got the chance.
But Tomoya wasn't bothered by it. After all, he was just sharing what he loved with more people. How could that be wrong?
"Megumi, is this Tomoya Aki guy bothering you?"
Megumi nodded. "Yes. Aki-san said he wants to make a game with me as the main character."
"That's right!" Tomoya eagerly nodded.
"Kana-san, I think you look quite ordinary, but with my game, I can shape you into the perfect and most dazzling heroine!!!"
""
Megumi's eyebrows twitched slightly, a small but telling sign of her displeasure. Rei Ao could already see that she wasn't happy. Not only had Tomoya gotten her name wrong, but he also bluntly called her "ordinary" to her face. No one would be pleased with that.
Rei Ao hadn't paid much attention to Tomoya initially, but after this, he felt disgusted.
"Tomoya Aki, getting someone's name wrong is bad enough, but calling someone 'ordinary'what's that about? Watch your words."
Rei Ao had hoped that Tomoya would realize his mistake and back down, but Tomoya seemed unfazed. He stared at Megumi for a while and then nodded seriously, "No, it's true. Right now, she's ordinary. There's none of the excitement I felt that day."
Ever since that fateful encounter when Megumi had caught his attention, Tomoya had been chasing after her, hoping to recreate that moment of destiny. He wanted to capture that in his game and bring that scene to life.
With renewed excitement, he puffed out his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Kana-san. I'll make you the perfect heroine!"
Saying this, he even reached out to grab Megumi's hand.
But Megumi instantly stepped back, positioning herself behind Rei Ao.
Rei Ao narrowed his eyes and grabbed Tomoya's wrist.
"Heh, you think you can just put your hands on someone like that?"
"!!!"
Tomoya froze.
"Let go of me!"
He tried to pull away but found that Rei Ao's grip was unyielding, like a rock. There was no way someone like Tomoya could overpower him. Feeling the pain in his wrist intensify, Tomoya struggled harder.
Megumi tugged on Rei Ao's sleeve and said worriedly, "Ao-kun, it's fine. Let him go."
She wasn't worried about Tomoya, but more about Rei Ao accidentally hurting him. After all, she didn't want him to get in trouble for seriously injuring someone so weak.
With a sigh, Rei Ao loosened his grip. Because he let go so suddenly, Tomoya, still struggling, lost his balance and stumbled backward, crashing into a nearby trash can.
"Wahh!!!"
The loud commotion drew even more attention from nearby students. A few curious heads popped out from classrooms, including Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was looking for some inspiration.
"Hmm? It's him."
Seeing that Rei Ao was involved in the scene, she suddenly remembered somethingthose two lunchboxes at her house they belonged to him!
"How could I have forgotten about that?!"
She smacked her forehead. She had eaten someone else's lunch and even taken both lunchboxes home without a word. How irresponsible was that?
Utaha planned to return the lunchboxes to Rei Ao later, but it seemed like he was in the middle of something right now.
"Ugh!!"
Tomoya clutched his head, groaning in pain. Seeing that the crowd was growing, he scrambled to his feet and angrily pointed at Rei Ao.
"Why'd you have to get physical just like that?!"
Before Rei Ao could respond, Megumi stepped forward, for the first time showing a trace of irritation on her face.
